Establishing a multiparty session by sending invitations in parallel

ABSTRACT

A method and system for establishing a multiparty session with a mesh configuration by sending out invitations to endpoints in parallel is provided. To initiate a session, an initiating endpoint sends invitations in parallel to the endpoints that are to be in the session. When the initiating endpoint receives an acceptance, it then sends to the accepting endpoint an indication of the other endpoints that are currently in the session. When an accepting endpoint receives the indication of the endpoints in the session, the accepting endpoint sends an invitation to establish a dialog to each of the indicated endpoints. When an endpoint that is in the session receives such an invitation, it can automatically accept the invitation because it is already participating in the session.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 418268185US) entitled “SUPPORTING A SERIAL AND A PARALLEL INVITATION PROTOCOL,” filed on May 27, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Applications sometimes need to establish and manage a session between computing devices, referred to as endpoints. A session is a set of interactions between computing devices that occurs over a period of time. As an example, real-time communications applications such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS MESSENGER or Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) establish sessions between communicating devices on behalf of a user. These applications may use various mechanisms to establish sessions, such as a “Session Initiation Protocol” (“SIP”). SIP is an application-layer control protocol that devices can use to discover one another and to establish, modify, and terminate sessions between devices. SIP is an Internet proposed standard. Its specification, “RFC 3261,” is available at <http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3261.txt>.

A SIP network comprises entities that can participate in a dialog as a client, server, or both. SIP supports four types of entities: user agent, proxy server, redirect server, and registrar. User agents initiate and terminate sessions by exchanging messages with other SIP entities. A user agent can be a user agent client, which is generally a device that initiates SIP requests, or a user agent server, which is a device that generally receives SIP requests and responds to such requests. As examples, “IP-telephones,” personal digital assistants, and any other type of computing device may be user agents. A device can be a user agent client in one dialog and a user agent server in another, or may change roles during the dialog. A proxy server is an entity that acts as a server to clients and a client to servers. In so doing, proxy servers intercept, interpret, or forward messages between clients and servers. A redirect server accepts a SIP request and generates a response directing the client that sent the request to contact an alternate network resource. A registrar is a server that accepts registration information from SIP clients and informs a location service of the received registration information.

SIP supports two message types: requests, which are sent from a client to a server, and responses, which are sent from a server to a client, generally when responding to a request. A SIP message is composed of three parts. The first part of a SIP message is a “start line,” which includes fields to indicate a message type and a protocol version. The second part of a SIP message comprises header fields whose values are represented as name-value pairs. The third part of a SIP message is the message's body, which is used to describe the session to be initiated or contain data that relates to the session. Message bodies may appear in requests or responses.

SIP messages are routed based on the contents of their header fields. To be valid, a SIP request should contain at least the following six header fields: To, From, CSeq, Call-ID, Max-Forwards, and Via. The To header field indicates the logical identity of the recipient of the request. The From header field indicates the logical identity of the initiator of the request. The Max-Forwards header field indicates the number of hops a request can make before arriving at its destination. As an example, if a message from device A transits device B before arriving at destination device C, the message is said to have made two hops (e.g., to devices B and C). The Via header field indicates the path taken by the request so far (e.g., a sequence of network addresses of devices through which the request has transited) and indicates the path that should be followed when routing the response. Various network devices may insert Record-Route header fields when forwarding a SIP message in an attempt to force subsequent messages in a dialog to be routed through the device. The Record-Route header field may contain an identifier (e.g., network address) for the device and parameters. Devices that handle a message may force the message to be routed to devices listed in a message's Route header field. The Route header field values may be based on the Record-Route header field values inserted by devices. These and other header fields are described in the SIP specification referenced above.

A common form of real-time conversation is provided by instant messaging services. An instant messaging service allows participants at endpoints to send messages and have them received within a second or two by the other participants in the conversation. The receiving participants can then send responsive messages to the other participants in a similar manner.

When a participant at an endpoint wants to establish a multiparty session, for example, for sending instant messages between participants, the endpoints may be connected in a mesh configuration to support the signaling needed for the session. In a mesh configuration, each endpoint has a connection to each other endpoint. In the SIP protocol, an endpoint is connected to another endpoint when a dialog is established between the endpoints. To establish a connection with each other endpoint, each endpoint needs to be aware of the other endpoints in the session. Each endpoint that is to be in a multiparty session implements a serial invitation protocol for coordinating the sending of invitations and acceptances to establish the dialog between the endpoints in the session. A serial invitation protocol is used because, when an endpoint is invited, that endpoint needs to know about all the other endpoints currently in the session so that it can establish a dialog with each of those other endpoints. As a result, the endpoint that initiates the session needs to wait until it receives an acceptance or rejection from each endpoint before inviting another endpoint. The delay resulting from sending out the invitations serially is typically acceptable because an endpoint implementing the serial invitation protocol can automatically accept an invitation to establish a dialog of a session without having to ask the participant's permission to accept the invitation. Because each endpoint automatically accepts the invitation, there is typically very little delay between the sending of the first invitation and the receiving of the acceptance of the last invitation.

A difficulty occurs, however, when an endpoint no longer automatically accepts an invitation, but rather seeks permission from the participant to accept the invitation or delays for some other reason before automatically accepting an invitation. In such a case, there can be a considerable delay between when the first invitation is sent and when the last acceptance is received because of the aggregate delays of the endpoints. Moreover, in some cases, if an endpoint never responds to an invitation, the delay can be indefinite.

SUMMARY

A method and system for establishing a multiparty session with a mesh configuration by sending out invitations to endpoints in parallel is provided. A parallel invitation system implements a parallel invitation protocol that sends in parallel invitations to endpoints of participants that are being invited to join the session. To initiate a session, an initiating endpoint sends invitations in parallel to the endpoints that are to be in the session. When the initiating endpoint receives an acceptance, it then sends to the accepting endpoint an indication of the other endpoints that are currently in the session, that is, those endpoints that have already accepted invitations. When an accepting endpoint receives the indication of the endpoints in the session, the accepting endpoint sends an invitation to establish a dialog to each of the indicated endpoints. When an endpoint that is in the session receives such an invitation, it can automatically accept the invitation because it is already participating in the session.

The parallel invitation system may allow endpoints that support only a serial invitation protocol to participate in a multiparty session. When an initiating endpoint sends initial invitations to the endpoints in parallel, it indicates that it requires the invited endpoints to support the parallel invitation protocol. An invited endpoint that does not support the parallel invitation protocol will reject the invitation. After all the initial invitations have been accepted or rejected, the initiating endpoint then sends in serial to the endpoints that rejected the initial invitations in serial invitations indicating that the serial invitation protocol is supported. The parallel invitation system invites in parallel those endpoints that support the parallel invitation protocol and invites in serial those endpoints that support only the serial invitation protocol.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a mesh configuration for a multiparty session.

FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram that illustrates messages sent to establish a three-party session using the parallel invitation system implemented using the Session Initiation Protocol in one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a message flow diagram that illustrates messages sent to add a participant that supports the parallel invitation protocol to an already established session.

FIG. 4 is a message flow diagram that illustrates the messages sent to add a participant that does not support the parallel invitation protocol to an already established session.

FIG. 5 is a message flow diagram that illustrates the messages sent between endpoints to elect a new roster manager.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of the parallel invitation system in one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the processing of the user requests multiparty session component in one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the process pending queue component in one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the process serial queue component in one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive invite component in one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the invite component in one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the triggered invite component in one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive response to invite component in one embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive acknowledgment of invite component in one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the invite additional participants component in one embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the user adds participants component in one embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive refer component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint receives a refer request.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive response to refer component in one embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the elect roster manager component in one embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive election request component in one embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the decide election component in one embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive set roster manager component in one embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the user requests a two-party session component in one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method and system for establishing a multiparty session with a mesh configuration by sending out invitations to endpoints in parallel is provided. In one embodiment, a parallel invitation system implements a parallel invitation protocol that sends in parallel invitations to endpoints of participants that are being invited to join the session. To initiate a session, an initiating endpoint sends invitations in parallel to the endpoints that are to be in the session. When an invited endpoint receives an invitation, the invited endpoint may prompt the participant at that endpoint for permission to accept the invitation. When permission is received, the invited endpoint sends an acceptance to the initiating endpoint. When the initiating endpoint receives an acceptance, it then sends to the accepting endpoint an indication of the other endpoints that are currently in the session, that is, those endpoints that have already accepted invitations. When an accepting endpoint receives the indication of the endpoints in the session, the accepting endpoint needs to establish a dialog with the other endpoints in the session to complete the mesh configuration. As a result, the accepting endpoint sends an invitation to establish a dialog to each of the indicated endpoints. When an endpoint that is in the session receives such an invitation, it can automatically accept the invitation because it already has the participant's permission to participate in the session. In this way, the parallel invitation system can send invitations using a parallel invitation protocol and can avoid the aggregate delay that is inherent in a serial invitation protocol.

In one embodiment, after a session has been established, an inviting endpoint may invite additional endpoints to join the session. In such a case, the inviting endpoint may indicate in the invitation the endpoints that are currently participating in the session. An invited endpoint may decide whether to accept the invitation based in part on the indicated endpoints currently participating. When the invited endpoint accepts the invitation, it can then begin establishing a dialog with each of the indicated endpoints without having to wait until after inviting endpoint receives the acceptance. When the inviting endpoint receives an acceptance, it may, however, send to the accepting participant an indication of those endpoints that have joined the session after the invitation was initially sent to the accepting endpoint. More generally, the inviting endpoint may identify the participant endpoints to an invited participant at various points during the invitation process. The inviting participant may also indicate in an invitation the endpoints that have been invited but not yet accepted (“sending endpoints”) or may be invited but have not yet been able to join the session (“potential endpoints”). Upon receiving the invitations, the invited endpoint can decide whether to accept the invitation based in part on those indicated endpoints.

In one embodiment, the parallel invitation system designates an endpoint of a session to be the roster manager endpoint. The roster manager endpoint is responsible for maintaining the roster of the participants in the session and their corresponding endpoints. The roster manager endpoint is responsible for initiating a session by sending invitations to the endpoints of the initial participants and for adding new participants to the session by sending invitations to the endpoints of the new participants. When a session is initiated, the initiating endpoint assumes the roster manager role. When a participant is to be added to the session, the roster manager endpoint sends the invitation to that participant. If a participant at an endpoint other than the roster manager endpoint decides to add a participant, then that endpoint needs to refer that participant to the roster manager endpoint so that the roster manager endpoint can send out the invitation. When the roster manager endpoint sends an invitation, it can indicate the endpoints that are currently in the session. When the invited endpoint receives the invitation, then the invited endpoint can then send out invitations to establish dialog with the other endpoints in the session to complete the mesh configuration.

In one embodiment, the parallel invitation system allows different endpoints to assume the roster manager role when the endpoint that currently has the roster manager role leaves the session. The parallel invitation system uses a distributed approach for electing a new roster manager. When an endpoint detects that there is no roster manager endpoint, it becomes a candidate endpoint to assume the roster manager role and sends to each other endpoint in the session an election request that it be elected. The request includes a “bid amount” that can be used to resolve conflicts when multiple endpoints send requests to be elected roster manager. When an endpoint receives an election request, it decides whether to support the election of the candidate endpoint. If the endpoint that receives the election request has not sent out its own election request, then it automatically notifies the candidate endpoint that it will allow the election of the candidate endpoint. When a candidate endpoint receives such a notification from all other endpoints, it assumes the roster manager role. If, however, the endpoint that receives an election request has already sent out its own election request, then it decides whether to allow the candidate endpoint to be elected based on comparison of bid amounts. If the endpoint that previously sent out an election request had a higher bid amount, then it sends a notification to the candidate endpoint that it will not allow the election of the candidate endpoint. Because the candidate endpoint receives at least one notification of non-allowance, it does not assume the roster manager role. As a result, the candidate endpoint that has the highest bid amount ultimately assumes the roster manager role. After an endpoint assumes the roster manager role, it sends to each endpoint in the session an indication that it has assumed the role. The bid amount may be a number that is generated randomly by each endpoint that is large enough so that the probability of two endpoints generating the same random number is small. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the bid amount may be other values, such as a unique network address, participant's identification, and so on. In one embodiment, an endpoint does not send out an election request until it needs to add a participant to the session. As a result, the session may proceed for some time without a roster manager endpoint. The resulting delay in electing a new roster manager will help avoid serial election of roster managers as the session is being terminated by the participants. Without the delay, each time a roster manager endpoint leaves the session a new one is immediately elected, which then quickly leaves the session as part of the termination and a new roster manager is again elected.

In one embodiment, the parallel invitation system allows endpoints that support only a serial invitation protocol to participate in a multiparty session. When an initiating endpoint sends initial invitations to the endpoints in parallel, it indicates that it requires the invited endpoints to support the parallel invitation protocol. All the invited endpoints that support the parallel invitation protocol will accept the invitation. An invited endpoint that does not support the parallel invitation protocol will, however, reject the invitation and may indicate that it supports the serial invitation protocol. When the initiating endpoint receives the rejection, it notes the rejection. After all the initial invitations have been accepted or rejected, the initiating endpoint then sends in serial to the endpoints that rejected the initial invitations invitations indicating that the serial invitation protocol is supported. Thus, the parallel invitation system invites in parallel those endpoints that support the parallel invitation protocol and invites in serial those endpoints that support only the serial invitation protocol. Alternatively, if the initiating endpoint knows in advance that an endpoint does not support the parallel invitation protocol, it can avoid sending the initial invitation in parallel to that endpoint and instead only send its invitation in parallel. An initiating endpoint may determine whether another endpoint supports the parallel invitation protocol based in presence information published by the other endpoint. In this way, a multiparty session can be established with endpoints that support either the parallel invitation protocol or the serial invitation protocol.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a mesh configuration for a multiparty session. Each endpoint A, B, C, and D is connected to, that is, has a dialog established with, each other endpoint. A connection is indicated by a straight line between a pair of endpoints. For example, endpoint A is connected to endpoint B as indicated by line 101, to endpoint C as indicated by line 102, and to endpoint D as indicated by line 103.

FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram that illustrates messages sent to establish a three-party session using the parallel invitation system implemented using the Session Initiation Protocol in one embodiment. Endpoint A initiates a session that is to include participants at endpoint B and endpoint C. Endpoint A initially sends 201 an invite request to endpoint B and sends 202 an invite request to endpoint C in parallel. The invite request indicates that endpoint A supports the parallel invitation protocol and that endpoint A is the roster manager. When endpoint B receives the invite request, it sends 203 a 200 OK response indicating that it requires the parallel invitation protocol. Endpoint A sends 204 an acknowledgment to endpoint B. The acknowledgment indicates that endpoint A is the only endpoint currently in the session. As a result, endpoint B does not need to establish a connection with any other endpoints at that time. Endpoint C eventually sends 205 a 200 OK response to endpoint A indicating that it requires the parallel invitation protocol. Endpoint A sends 206 an acknowledgment to endpoint C indicating that endpoint A and endpoint B are currently in the session. When endpoint C receives the acknowledgment, it sends 207 a triggered invite request to endpoint B indicating that it supports the parallel invitation protocol and requires the serial invitation protocol. When an endpoint is being invited to establish a dialog as part of joining the session, it is sent a “normal” invite request. However, when an endpoint is being invited to establish a dialog to complete the message configuration by an endpoint that has just joined the session, it is sent a “triggered” invite request. A triggered invite request can be automatically accepted because the participant has already given permission to join the session. Endpoint B sends 208 a 200 OK response indicating that it supports the parallel invitation protocol. Endpoint C then sends 209 an acknowledgment to endpoint B. Table 1 contains portions of SIP messages that are sent between endpoints A, B, and C to establish the mesh session. In the tables, “ms-msp” identifies the parallel invitation protocol, and “com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty” identifies the serial invitation protocol. TABLE 1 From->To SIP Message A->B INVITE sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 99544890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: ms-msp Endpoints: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Roster-Manager: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX A->C INVITE sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 99544890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: ms-msp Endpoints: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Roster-Manager: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX B->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> CSeq: 1 INVITE Call-ID: 99544890 Require: ms-msp Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX A->B ACK sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> CSeq: 1 ACK Call-ID: 99544890 Content-Length: 0 C->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> CSeq: 1 INVITE Call-ID: 99544890 Require: ms-msp Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX A->C ACK sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> CSeq: 1 ACK Endpoints: Participant B <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 99544890 Content-Length: 0 C->B INVITE sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Participant B <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 99544890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Supported: ms-msp TriggeredInvite: TRUE Roster-Manager: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX B->C SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Participant B <sip:B@Microsoft.com> CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Support: ms-msp Call-ID: 99544890 Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX C->B ACK sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Participant C <sip:B@Microsoft.com> CSeq: 1 ACK Call-ID: 99544890 Content-Length: 0

FIG. 3 is a message flow diagram that illustrates messages sent to add a participant that supports the parallel invitation protocol to an already established session. In this example, endpoint B wants to invite endpoint D, which supports the parallel invitation protocol, to join the session. Endpoint B, however, is not the roster manager. So, endpoint B sends 301 a refer request identifying endpoint D to the roster manager, endpoint A. Endpoint A sends 302 an accept response to endpoint B. Endpoint A then sends 303 an invite request to endpoint D indicating that the parallel invitation protocol is required and identifying that endpoints A, B, and C are currently in the session. Because it supports the parallel invitation protocol, endpoint D sends 304 a 200 OK response to endpoint A indicating that it requires the parallel invitation protocol. Endpoint A sends 305 an acknowledgment to endpoint D. Endpoint A sends 306 a notify message to endpoint B to indicate that endpoint D is joining the session, and endpoint B sends a 200 OK response to endpoint A (not shown). Upon receiving the acknowledgment, endpoint D sends 307 and 308 a triggered invite to endpoints B and C, respectively, indicating that the serial invitation protocol is required and the parallel invitation protocol is supported. This ensures the request is accepted by both serial and parallel invitation protocol endpoints. The response to the triggered invite indicates whether the serial and parallel invitation protocols are supported by the invited endpoint. To establish the dialog, endpoints B and C then send 200 OK responses, and endpoint D sends acknowledgments to endpoints B and C. Table 2 contains portions of the SIP messages that are sent between endpoints A, B, C, and D to add endpoint D to the session. TABLE 2 From->To SIP Message B->A REFER sip:A@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> From: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 REFER Refer-To: sip:D@Microsoft.com Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty A->B SIP/2.0 202 Accepted To: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> From: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 REFER A->D INVITE sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Referred-By: sip:B@Microsoft.com Require: ms-msp Endpoints: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com>, Participant B <sip:B@Microsoft.com>; Participant C <sip:C@Microsoft.com>; <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Roster-Manager: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX D->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: ms-msp Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX A->D ACK sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 ACK Content-Length: 0 A->B NOTIFY B@Microsoft.com From: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> To: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 34 REFER Event: refer; id = 2 Content-Type: application/sipfrag Content-Length: 16 B->A SIP/2.0 200 OK From: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> To: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 34 NOTIFY D->B INVITE sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE TriggeredInvite: TRUE Supported: ms-msp Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX D->C INVITE sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 12345678980 CSeq: 1 INVITE TriggeredInvite: TRUE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty,ms-msp Supported: ms-msp Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX B->D SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: ms-msp Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX C->D SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: ms-msp Content-Length: XXX D->B ACK sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 ACK Content-Length: 0 D->C ACK sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 ACK Content-Length: 0

FIG. 4 is a message flow diagram that illustrates the messages sent to add a participant that does not support the parallel invitation protocol to an already established session. In this example, endpoint B wants to invite endpoint D, which does the roster manager. So, endpoint B sends 401 a refer request identifying endpoint D to the roster manager, endpoint A. Endpoint A sends 402 an accept response to endpoint B. Endpoint A then sends 403 an invite request to endpoint D indicating that the parallel invitation protocol is required and identifying that endpoints A, B, and C all are currently in the session. Because it does not support the parallel invitation protocol, endpoint D sends 404 a 420 bad extension response. Endpoint A then sends 405 an acknowledgment to endpoint D. Endpoint A sends 406 an invite request to endpoint D indicating that the serial invitation protocol is required and identifying that endpoints A, B, and C are currently in the session. Because it supports the serial invitation protocol, endpoint D sends 407 a 200 OK response to endpoint A indicating that it requires the serial invitation protocol. Endpoint A sends 408 an acknowledgment to endpoint D. Endpoint A sends 409 a notify message to endpoint B to indicate that endpoint D is joining the session, and endpoint B sends a 200 OK response (not shown). Upon receiving the acknowledgment, endpoint D sends 410 and 411 a triggered invite to endpoints B and C, respectively, indicating that the serial invitation protocol is supported. To establish the dialog, endpoints B and C then send 200 OK responses, and endpoint D sends acknowledgments to endpoints B and C. Table 3 contains portions of the SIP messages that are sent between endpoints A, B, C, and D to add endpoint D to the session. TABLE 3 From->To SIP Message B->A REFER sip:A@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> From: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 REFER Refer-To: sip:D@Microsoft.com Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty A->B SIP/2.0 202 Accepted To: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> From: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 REFER A->D INVITE sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Referred-By: sip:B@Microsoft.com Require: ms-msp Endpoints: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com>, Participant B <sip:B@Microsoft.com>; Participant C <sip:C@Microsoft.com>; <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Roster-Manager: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX D->A SIP/2.0 420 Bad Extension To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Unsupported: ms-msp Content-Length: 0 A->D ACK sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 ACK Content-Length: 0 A->D INVITE sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 INVITE Referred-By: sip:B@Microsoft.com Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Endpoints: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com>, Participant B <sip:B@Microsoft.com>; Participant C <sip:C@Microsoft.com>; <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Roster-Manager: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX D->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 INVITE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Contact: sip:A@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX A->D ACK sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: Participant A <sip:A@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 2 ACK Content-Length: 0 A->B NOTIFY B@Microsoft.com From: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> To: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 34 NOTIFY Event: refer; id = 2 Contact: sip:B@Microsoft.com Content-Type: application/sipfrag Content-Length: 16 B->A SIP/2.0 200 OK From: <sip:A@Microsoft.com> To: <sip:B@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 34 NOTIFY D->B INVITE sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE TriggeredInvite: TRUE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX D->C INVITE sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 12345678980 CSeq: 1 INVITE TriggeredInvite: TRUE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX B->D SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Content-Type: application/SDP Content-Length: XXX C->D SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 INVITE Require: com.microsoft.rtc-multiparty Content-Length: XXX D->B ACK sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 ACK Content-Length: 0 D->C ACK sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: Particpiant D <sip:D@Microsoft.com> Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 1 ACK Content-Length: 0

FIG. 5 is a message flow diagram that illustrates the messages sent between endpoints to elect a new roster manager. Endpoints A, B. C, and D are in the session. The previous roster manager may have been endpoint E that recently left the session. In this example, endpoint A detects that there currently is no roster manager. As a result, endpoint A becomes a candidate and sends 501, 502, and 503 an elect roster manager request to endpoints B, C, and D. The roster manager request includes a bid (e.g., a random number) generated by endpoint A for use when multiple endpoints try to become a new roster manager at the same time. The endpoint that generates the highest bid is elected roster manager. In this example, endpoints B and D had not previously detected that there was no roster manager and so did not become candidates. Thus, endpoints B and D send 504 and 505 allow responses to endpoint A indicating that these endpoints will allow endpoint A to become the roster manager. Endpoint C, however, also detected that there was no roster manager and sent a roster manager request to the other participants. In this example, endpoint C generated a higher bid than endpoint A and thus sends 506 a not allow response to endpoint A. The elect requests sent by endpoint C are not shown in FIG. 5. Eventually, endpoint C will decide that it has been elected roster manager because all the other endpoint will allow its election and send set roster manager requests to endpoints A, B, and D. Table 4 contains portions of the SIP messages that are sent between endpoints A, B, C, and D to elect a roster manager. TABLE 4 From-> To SIP Message C->A INFO sip:A@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:A@Microsoft.com From: sip:C@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRM uri=“sip:C@Microsoft.com” bid=“5555”/> </action> A->B INFO sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: sip:A@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRM uri=“sip:A@Microsoft.com” bid=“4444”/> </action> A->C INFO sip:C@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: sip:A@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRM uri=“sip:A@Microsoft.com” bid=“4444”/> </action> A->D INFO sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: sip:A@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRM uri=“sip:A@Microsoft.com” bid=“4444”/> </action> B->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: sip:A@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRMResponse uri=“sip:A@Microsoft.com”  allow=“true”/> </action> D->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: sip:A@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRMResponse uri=“sip:A@Microsoft.com”  allow=“true”/> </action> C->A SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: sip:A@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 20 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <RequestRMResponse uri=“sip:A@Microsoft.com”  allow=“false”/> </action> C->A INFO sip:A@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:A@Microsoft.com From: sip:C@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 21 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <SetRM uri=“sip:C@Microsoft.com”/> </action> C->B INFO sip:B@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:B@Microsoft.com From: sip:C@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 21 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <SetRM uri=“sip:C@Microsoft.com”/> </action> C->D INFO sip:D@Microsoft.com SIP/2.0 To: sip:D@Microsoft.com From: sip:C@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 21 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <SetRM uri=“sip:C@Microsoft.com”/> </action> C->B SIP/2.0 200 OK To: sip:C@Microsoft.com From: sip:B@Microsoft.com Call-ID: 1234567890 CSeq: 21 INFO Content-Type: application/ms-mim Content-Length: XXX <action xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sip/multiparty/”>  <SetRMResponse uri=“sip:B@Microsoft.com”/> </action>

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of the parallel invitation system in one embodiment. The parallel invitation system 601 includes a create session subsystem 610, an add participants subsystem 620, an elect manager subsystem 630, and a user requests two-party session component 640. The create session subsystem includes a user requests multiparty session component 611, a process pending queue component 612, a process serial queue component 613, a receive invite component 614, a receive response to invite component 615, a receive acknowledgment of invite component 616, and an invite additional participants component 617. The create session subsystem also includes a pending queue 618 and a serial queue 619. The pending queue contains the identification of the participants that are to be added to the established session. The serial queue contains the identification of the participants whose endpoints do not support the parallel invitation protocol and thus need to be invited using the serial invitation protocol to the session. The user requests multiparty session component adds endpoints of participants to a session to be established. The process pending queue component is invoked to send invitations to the endpoints of the participants in the pending queue. The process serial queue component is invoked to send invitations serially to the endpoints of the participants in the serial queue. The receive invite component is invoked to process invite requests received at an endpoint. The receive response to invite component is invoked to process a response to an invite request. The receive acknowledgment of invite component is invoked to process an acknowledgment of an invite request. The invite additional participants component is invoked to send invitations to participants. The add participants subsystem includes a user adds participants component 221, a receive refer component 622, and a receive response to refer component 623. The user adds participants component is invoked when a user wants to add a participant to an established session. The receive refer component is invoked when an endpoint receives a refer request. The receive response to refer request component is invoked to process a response to a refer request. The elect manager subsystem includes an elect roster manager component 631, a decide election component 632, a receive request roster manager component 633, and a receive set roster manager component 634. The elect roster manager component coordinates the election of a roster manager. The decide election component is invoked to decide the results of the election. The receive request roster manager component is invoked to process request roster manager requests. The receive set roster manager component is invoked to process set roster manager requests. The user requests two-party session component is invoked to process a user request to establish a two-party session.

The computing device on which the parallel invitation system is implemented may include a central processing unit, memory, input devices (e.g., keyboard and pointing devices), output devices (e.g., display devices), and storage devices (e.g., disk drives). The memory and storage devices are computer-readable media that may contain instructions that implement the parallel invitation system. In addition, the data structures and message structures may be stored or transmitted via a data transmission medium, such as a signal on a communications link. Various communication links may be used, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, a point-to-point dial-up connection, a cell phone network, and so on.

Embodiments of the parallel invitation system may be implemented in various operating environments that include personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, programmable consumer electronics, digital cameras, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and so on. The computer systems may be cell phones, personal digital assistants, smart phones, personal computers, programmable consumer electronics, digital cameras, and so on.

The parallel invitation system may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the processing of the user requests multiparty session component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when a user wants to initiate a multiparty session. The component is passed the identification of the participants that are to be invited. In block 701, the component assumes the role of roster manager. In block 702, the component adds the identification of the participants to the pending queue. In block 703, the component invokes the process pending queue component to send invitations to the participants in the pending queue. The component then returns.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the process pending queue component in one embodiment. The component sends invitations to the participants in the pending queue. In decision block 801, if there is a serial request in progress, then the component needs to wait until it completes and the component continues at block 802, else the component continues at block 803. In block 802, the component waits for the serial request to complete and then loops to block 801 to continue the processing. In blocks 803-805, the component loops sending invitations indicating the parallel invitation protocol to the participants identified in the pending queue. In decision block 803, if the pending queue is empty, then the component returns, else the component continues at block 804. In block 804, the component selects and removes the next participant from the pending queue. In block 805, the component sends an invite request to the endpoint of the selected participant indicating that the parallel invitation protocol is required. The component may identify all the current, pending and possible participants in the invite request. The component then loops to block 803 to process the next participant in the pending queue.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the process serial queue component in one embodiment. The component is invoked to send invitations serially to the participants in the serial queue. In decision block 901, if the serial queue is empty, then the component returns, else the component continues at block 902. In block 902, the component selects and removes the next participant from the serial queue. The component also sets the serial request in progress flag so that another request (e.g., parallel request) will not be sent until the serial request completes. In block 903, the component sends an invite request to the endpoint of the selected participant indicating that the serial invitation protocol is required. In decision block 904, if the invitation was rejected because the endpoint of the selected participant does not support the serial invitation protocol, then the component continues at block 906, else the component continues at block 908. In block 906, the component sends an acknowledgment to the endpoint of the selected participant. In block 907, the component sends a notify request indicating failure to the referring endpoint if appropriate. In decision block 908, if the invitation was accepted, then the component continues at block 909, else the component continues at block 906. In block 909, the component sends an acknowledgment to the endpoint of the selected participant. In block 910, the component sends a notify request indicating success to the referring endpoint if appropriate. In block 911, the component clears the serial request in process flag to indicate that a serial request is no longer in process. In decision block 912, if the pending queue is empty, then the component loops to block 901, else the component continues at block 913. In block 913, the component invokes the process pending queue component, which effectively gives priority to inviting endpoints that support the parallel invitation protocol so they are not delayed by the endpoints that support only the serial invitation protocol, and then returns.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive invite component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an invite request is received. In decision block 1001, if the call identifier of the request matches an existing session of the endpoint, then the component continues at block 1005, else the component continues at block 1002. In block 1002, if the invite request is a triggered invite, then the component continues at block 1004, else the component continues at block 1003. In block 1003, the component invokes the invite component to process the invite request and then returns the status. In block 1004, the component sends a fail response to the inviting endpoint, sets the status to failed, and then returns. In decision block 1005, if the invite request is a triggered invite, then the component continues at block 1007, else the component continues at block 1006. In block 1006, the component sends a fail response to the inviting endpoint, sets the status to failed, and then returns the status. In block 1007, the component invokes the triggered invite component and then returns the status.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the invite component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when the endpoint receives an invite request that is not triggered. The component determines whether to accept the request and then sends triggered invite requests to the other participants of the session. In decision block 1101, if the user accepts the invite request, then the component continues at block 1102, else the component continues at block 1103. In block 1102, the component sends an error response to the inviting endpoint, sets the status to failed, and then returns. In decision block 1103, if the inviting endpoint supports the parallel invitation protocol, then the component continues at block 1104, else the component continues at block 1105. In block 1104, the component records the roster manager from the invite request, sends a 200 OK response indicating that the parallel invitation protocol is required, and then continues at block 1108. In decision block 1105, if the inviting endpoint supports the serial invitation protocol, then the component continues at block 1106, else the component continues at block 1107. In block 1106, the component records the roster manager from the invite request, sends a 200 OK response indicating that the serial invitation protocol is required, and then continues at block 1108. In block 1107, the component sends a 200 OK response to the inviting endpoint. In block 1108, the component invokes the invite additional participants component to send triggered invites to the other endpoints of the session that were identified in the invite request. In decision block 1109, if the invitation succeeded, then the component returns a success status, else the component continues at block 1110. In block 1110, the component sends a bye response to the inviting endpoint and then returns a failed status.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the triggered invite component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when the endpoint receives an invite request that is triggered. The component automatically accepts the invitation. In block 1201, the component sends a 200 OK response indicating that the serial or parallel invitation protocol is required as indicated in the invite request. In block 1202, the component waits for the acknowledgment. In decision block 1203, if the acknowledgement arrives, then the component returns an indication that the invite succeeded, else the component returns an indication that the invite failed.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive response to invite component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint receives a response to an invite request. In decision block 1301, if the invite request was accepted, then the component continues at block 1302, else the component continues at block 1304. In block 1302, the component sends an acknowledgment to the invited endpoint that identifies the participants of the session or alternatively only the participants that have joined since the corresponding invite request was sent. In block 1303, the component sends a notify request to a referring endpoint indicating success when the invite request was sent in response to a referral. The component then continues at block 1309. In decision block 1304, if the invitation was rejected because parallel invitation protocol is not supported by the invited endpoint, then the component continues at block 1305, else the component continues at block 1307. In block 1305, the component sends an acknowledgment to the invited endpoint. In block 1306, the component sends a notify request indicating failure to the referring endpoint when the invite request was sent in response to a referral. In decision block 1307, if endpoints that support only the serial invitation protocol are allowed in the session, then the component continues at block 1308, else the component continues at block 1305. In block 1308, the component sends an acknowledgment to the invited endpoint and adds the participants of the invited endpoint to the serial queue. In decision block 1309, if more invite requests are waiting for a final response, then the component continues at block 1310, else the component continues at block 1311. In block 1310, the component waits for the responses and then returns. In block 1311, the component invokes the process serial queue component and then returns.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive acknowledgment of invite component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an invited endpoint receives an acknowledgment for the invite request. In block 1401, the component invokes the invite additional participants component passing an indication that the invite requests are to be triggered. In decision block 1402, if the invite succeeded, then the component returns a succeeded status, else the component continues at block 1403. In block 1403, the component sends a bye request to the inviting endpoint and then returns a failure status.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the invite additional participants component in one embodiment. The component is passed an indication as to whether the invite request should be triggered. In decision block 1501, if there are additional participants to be invited, then the component continues at block 1502, else the component returns with a status that the invite succeeded. In block 1502, the component sends an invite request to each additional participant for which there is no pending dialog. The invite request indicates whether the invite is triggered or not as indicated by the passed parameter. In block 1503, the component waits for the responses from the invited endpoints. In decision block 1504, if an invited endpoint rejected the invite request with a response other than a 481, then the component continues at block 1505, else the component continues at block 1507. In block 1505, the component cancels each invite request that has not been completed. In block 1506, the component sends a bye request to the endpoints with which a dialog is established. The component then returns an invite failed status. In block 1507, the component sends an acknowledgment to each endpoint that responded. The component then returns an invite succeeded status.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the user adds participants component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when a user wants to add additional participants to an established session. The component is passed a user queue of the participants to be added. In decision block 1601, if the local endpoint is the roster manager, then the component continues at block 1602, else the component continues at block 1604. In block 1602, the component puts the identification of the participants of the user queue onto the pending queue. In block 1603, the component invokes the process pending queue component to effect the inviting of the participants to the established session and then returns. In decision block 1604, if a roster manager exists, then the component continues at block 1606, else the component continues at block 1605. In block 1605, the component invokes the elect roster manager component and then returns. In decision block 1606, if the roster manager supports the parallel invitation protocol, then the component continues at block 1607, else the component continues at block 1608. In block 1607, the component sends to the roster manager a refer request for each participant to be added and then returns. In decision block 1608, if a refer request does not receive a final notify, then the referral failed and the component continues at block 1610, else the component continues at block 1609. In block 1609, the component sends a refer request to the roster manager indicating a participant of the user request queue. In block 1610, the component waits for the final notify of the notify requests and then returns.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive refer component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint receives a refer request. In decision block 1701, if the serial or parallel invitation protocol is required, then the component continues at block 1702. In decision block 1702, if the local endpoint is the roster manager, then the component continues at block 1703, else the component returns. In block 1703, the component puts the identification of the participant indicated in the refer request onto the pending queue. In block 1704, the component invokes the process pending queue component and then returns.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive response to refer component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint that sent a refer request receives a response. In decision block 1801; if the refer request was accepted, then the component returns, else the component continues at block 1802. In block 1802, the component puts the identification of the participant in the local user request queue to try again and then continues at block 1803. In block 1803, the component invokes the elect roster manager component and then returns.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the elect roster manager component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint decides that a roster manager needs to be elected. In block 1901, the component generates a bid for the election process. The bid may be a random number, a network address, or some other number or combination of numbers that has a high probability of being unique. In block 1902, the component sends an election request to each of the other participants in the session. In block 1903, the component waits for the responses. In block 1904, the component invokes the decide election component and then returns.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive election request component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint receives an election request. In decision block 2001, if the local endpoint is the roster manager, then the component continues at block 2002, else the component continues at block 2004. In block 2002, the component sends a response to the candidate endpoint that sent the election request indicating that that endpoint is not allowed to be the roster manager. In block 2003, the component sends a set roster manager request to each other endpoint in the session to notify them of the new roster manager and then returns. In decision block 2004, if the local endpoint is currently trying to be the roster manager, then the component continues at block 2006, else the component continues at block 2005. In block 2005, the component sends a response to the candidate endpoint indicating that that endpoint is allowed to be roster manager. The component then returns. In decision block 2006, if the local bid is higher than the bid of the candidate endpoint, then the component continues at block 2007, else the component continues at block 2005. In block 2007, the component sends a response to the candidate endpoint indicating that the endpoint is not allowed to be the roster manager. The component then returns.

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the decide election component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when a candidate endpoint receives all the responses to its election requests. In decision block 2101, if a set roster manager request has arrived, then someone else has been elected and the component returns, else the component continues at block 2102. In decision block 2102, if the local endpoint has been elected (i.e., all responses allow the election), then the component continues at block 2104, else the component continues at block 2103. In block 2103, the component sets a set roster manager timer and returns. When the set roster manager timer expires, then the elect roster manager processing is performed again to ensure that an endpoint is eventually elected roster manager. In block 2104, the component sends a set roster manager request to all endpoints of the session. In block 2105, the component updates the roster. In block 2106, the component transfers participants in the user request queue to the pending queue. In block 2107, the component invokes the process pending queue component and then returns.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the receive set roster manager component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when an endpoint receives a set roster manager request. In block 2701, the component sends a response to the endpoint that sent the set roster manager request and records the roster manager. In decision block 2202, if the user request queue is empty, then the component returns, else the component continues at block 2203. In block 2203, the component invokes the add new participants component and then returns.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram that illustrates the processing of the user requests a two-party session component in one embodiment. The component is invoked when a user requests a session with one other participant to be established. In block 2301, the component sets the serial request in progress flag. In block 2302, the component sends an invite request indicating that the serial and parallel invitation protocol is supported and that this endpoint is the roster manager. In block 2303, the component waits for a response. In decision block 2304; if a 2XX response is received, then the component continues at block 2305, else an error occurred and the component returns an invite failed status. In decision block 2305, if the response indicates that the serial or parallel invitation protocol is supported, then the component continues at block 2306, else only a two-party session can be supported and the component returns an indication that the invite succeeded. In block 2306, the component sets the session to be potentially multiparty. In block 2307, the component clears the serial request in progress flag. In decision block 2308, if there is a participant in the pending queue, then the component continues at block 2309, else the component returns a status of invite succeeded. In block 2309, the component invokes the process pending queue component and then completes.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the parallel invitation system have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims. 

1. A method in an initiating endpoint for establishing a multiparty session, the method comprising: sending in parallel to each of a plurality of endpoints an invitation to establish a dialog; and after receiving an acceptance from an invited endpoint, indicating that a dialog is established between the initiating endpoint and the invited endpoint; and sending to the invited endpoint an indication of the invited endpoints with which the initiating endpoint has already established a dialog so that the invited endpoint can establish a dialog with each indicated invited endpoint.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein an endpoint of a session is designated as a manager and when a new endpoint is to be added to the established session, the manager endpoint sends an invitation to the new endpoint so that a dialog can be established between the manager endpoint and the new endpoint and sends an indication of the endpoints in the session to the new endpoint so that the new endpoint can establish a dialog with each indicated endpoint.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein when an endpoint other than the manager endpoint is to add a new endpoint to the session, that other endpoint sends a referral identifying that other endpoint to the manager endpoint indicating that the other endpoint is to be invited to join the session.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the manager endpoint maintains a roster of endpoints in the session.
 5. The method of claim 2 wherein when an endpoint in the session is no longer designated as a manager endpoint, sending to the other endpoints in the session a request that the requesting endpoint be the manager, wherein upon receiving the request an endpoint decides between itself and the requesting endpoint which should be the manager and sends an indication of its decision to the requesting endpoint.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein when the requesting endpoint receives an indication from each other endpoint that the requesting endpoint should be the manager, the requesting endpoint sends to each other endpoint an indication that the requesting endpoint is the manager endpoint.
 7. The method of claim 2 wherein the indication of the endpoints in the session is included with the invitation sent to the new endpoint.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein an invited endpoint accepts the invitation after a participant at that endpoint indicates to accept the invitation.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein an invited endpoint establishes a dialog with an indicated endpoint by sending an invitation to establish a dialog to the indicated endpoint.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein after receiving the invitation to establish a dialog, the indicated endpoint automatically sends an acceptance to the invited participant.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the endpoints communicate using the Session Initiation Protocol.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the session is a mesh in which each endpoint in the session has a dialog established with each other endpoint in the session.
 13. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a first endpoint of a session to join a session by a method comprising: receiving from a second endpoint an invitation to establish a dialog that includes an indication of other endpoints in the session, wherein the second endpoint sends invitations in parallel to a plurality of endpoints; and after receiving the invitation, sending to the second endpoint an acceptance of the invitation; and sending to the other endpoints in the session an invitation to establish a dialog.
 14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein when the first endpoint is a manager endpoint and a new endpoint is to be added to the session, the first endpoint sends an invitation to the new endpoint so that a dialog can be established between the first endpoint and the new endpoint and sends an indication of the endpoints in the session to the new endpoint so that the new endpoint can establish a dialog with each indicated endpoint.
 15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein when the first endpoint is not a manager endpoint and a new endpoint is to be added to the session, the first endpoint sends to the manager endpoint a referral identifying the endpoint to be added.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the invitation identifies endpoints of pending participants.
 17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 including receiving an acknowledgement that indicates endpoints in the session that were not indicated in the invitation.
 18. A computer system at an endpoint for establishing a multiparty session, the computer system comprising: an invitation component that sends in parallel to each of a plurality of endpoints that are not in the session an invitation to establish a dialog, and sends an indication of the invited endpoints with which a dialog has already been established, and sends to an endpoint that is in the session an invitation to establish a dialog; and an acceptance component that receives when the endpoint is not in the session an invitation to establish a dialog of the session, sends an acceptance, and receives an indication of endpoints in the session so that the endpoint can establish dialogs with other endpoints in the session, and receives when the endpoint is in the session an invitation to establish a dialog of the session and sends an acceptance.
 19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the acceptance component sends an acceptance automatically when the endpoint is in the session and sends an acceptance after a participant indication when the endpoint is not in the session.
 20. The computer system of claim 18 including a component to elect a manager endpoint that is responsible for sending invitations to endpoints not in the session. 